This time its for real!

Farnham kicked off and the ball was well taken by Cats with the forwards working the ball into Farnham’s half. The ball was well recycled through the forwards before Will Mac made a good run however the covering tackle saw the ball go loose across the Farnham goal line. From the ensuing scrum Farnham cleared their line but only to the 22 where Cats had the throw to the lineout. A well worked move saw the throw go short to Conor who quickly passed it back to Toby for a run to the line. Desperate cover defence by Farnham saw Toby stopped short however he fed the ball to Lewis who passed onto to Dan Dolce who went over for a good score, unconverted. Cats 5 - 0 Farnham. From the kick-off Cats again worked their way upfield. Farnham were tackling well but Cats were recycling possession and continuing to pressure Farnham defence. From a maul Will Morris quickly recycled the ball to Tom who made ground before passing onto Lewis in support who went over in the tackle for another good try, unconverted. Cats 10 – 0 Farnham. Conor takes the ball from the restart and charges upfield with good support from Josh, Dan Dolce, Toby and Lewis before Aaron makes a good run on the wing before being bundled into touch on the Farnham 22. The lineout is well won by George and the ball quickly passed to Conor who tears through the Farnham defence for another score, unconverted. Cats 15 – 0 Farnham. From the restart Dan O. takes it cleanly and heads off into the Farnham half. From the ensuing maul Will Morris releases the ball to Rory, then Tom who draws his man and sets Josh free. Josh runs in from the half way for another try, converted by Tom. Cats 22 – 0 Farnham. Cats knock on from the restart and Farnham attack deep into Cats territory however good work by Conor sees Cats turn the ball over and following a good run by Tom, Aaron is forced out 10 metres from Farnham line. From the lineout Conor takes the ball up before feeding Dan Dolce who goes over but is held up by a solid Farnham defence. Good pressure from Rory as the ball comes out of the scrum sees Farnham having to dot down over their line for a scrum Cats. Easy does it for Lewis as he picks up from the back of the scrum and scores, unconverted. At half time Cats lead 27 -0.

Cats kick-off to start the second half and immediately put pressure on their opponents. From a ruck the ball is passed to Conor who makes good ground before releasing Aaron who gets across the line but is tackled over the in goal touch line however Cats win a penalty and take it quickly. The ball is again held up as the Farnham defence stands steady. From the scrum Toby takes a tight head and the ball is quickly passed along the back line to Jack on the wing and he goes over for a good try in the corner, unconverted. Cats 32 – 0 Farnham. Farnham kick-off but have no time to relax as Josh gets the ball on the Cats 22 before running through to score near the posts, converted by Rory. Cats 39 – 0 Farnham. From the kick-off Cats knock on and give Farnham the attacking scrum. However good work by Toby sees him take another against the head and Rory passes the ball out to Josh who makes ground before passing to Ben in close support, before Lewis and then George carry it on. From a ruck Cats get possession with Lewis picking and going before passing to Scott when tackled. Scott makes good ground before being tackled and the ball immediately comes the other way with Ben coming into the line and he breaks clear to score a good try under the posts, converted by Tom. Cats 46 – 0 Farnham. From the restart Cats again attack back into Farnham territory with Will Mac making a good run before being tackled on the Farnham 22. However good counter-rucking by Farnham see them come away with the ball and spin it out wide to their dangerous wing. A good run up to 10 metres from the Cats line is only stopped by a last ditch tackle by Ben, forcing the Farnham player into touch. Last play of the game and Cats run out the winners 46 -0 Farnham.

This was another excellent team performance from Cats where every player, whether starting or coming on from the bench, contributed. The scrum was solid putting Farnham under severe pressure and enabling Toby to take several strikes against the head. The front row of Dan O, Toby, Conor and Oscar when he came on ensured that Farnham had little quality ball with all of them contributing to the driving play. Jamie and George performed superbly in the tight, as did Jan when he came on, putting in the hard yards and winning good ball in the ruck and maul situations. Dan D, Will Morris, Lewis and in the second half, Ieuan and Rhys ensured any loose ball was won by Cats and put good pressure on the Farnham loosies. Lewis supported and ran strongly with just reward being 2 tries. Rory worked hard ensuring the right options were taken while Tom directed the back line and ensured good ball distribution. Josh’s incisive running, and Kieran’s when he came on ensured that all ball was “go-forward” ball and providing Will Mac, Aaron, Jack, Matt and Scott plenty of opportunities to run at their opposite numbers. Ben had a strong game at full back, with some good running and support play while his tackle in the last minute ensured Cats finished with a clean sheet – his performance giving him the player of the day award. The backs also closed down Farnham’s space quickly which cut down their attacking options. All in all a tremendous team effort with an excellent result just reward for the hard work on the field.